Senate Dems Launch Transpo Funding Countdown Clock

Screen shot of Senate Democrat Highway Funding Countdown Clock -- actual time will vary

Senate Democrats, already on full boil over the highway funding standoff, are turning the heat up even higher: they've launched a countdown clock to tick down the minutes until the federal road funding authorization expires on March 31.

House Republicans have tried this week for both a 90-day and a 60-day extension of current funding levels, but both efforts were blocked by Democrats who want to see the Senate's two-year, $109 billion bill come to the floor. It remains unclear whether a vote on an extension will come on Wednesday.

If no agreement is reached by March 31, the government's authority to collect the 18.4 cents-per-gallon gas tax that funds federal transportation programs expires.

Earlier Wednesday, New York Senator Charles Schumer tweeted: "W/only 3 days til deadline, @SpeakerBoehner still hasn’t acted on highway bill. Senate bill has the votes to pass. Bring it up now."

To read TN's coverage of the highway funding standoff, go here.